Staying Up Late

Having successfully helped the trio gain information about the Philosopher's Stone, Tver began his own plan to steal it. However, before he proceeded, he found himself in front of the chessboard for the third time.

This time, he handled the chess game much more deftly than before, swiftly defeating the black pieces and opening the gate to the next challenge.

After a quick scan for any detection spells, and paying no heed to the scattered chess pieces, Tver walked directly into the next room. He barely had time to adjust to the suddenly bright lights before a massive club swung down at him.

Accompanying the whistling of the club was a repulsive stench that was so strong it brought tears to Tver's eyes. He had underestimated the situation, expecting Snape's room next, not the troll.

Without even drawing his wand, an angry Freezing Charm from Tver immobilized the troll. Simultaneously, a giant bubble encased it, trapping the foul smell within.

With a sigh of relief, he noted that this troll was even larger than the one on Halloween—if that one was intended for lessons for younger students, this one seemed fit only for older students to tackle, as if its stench was its most potent attack.

Having dealt with the troll, Tver hurried into the next room.

This room was simple, containing only a table with seven differently shaped bottles.

As he stepped over the threshold, a plume of purple flames rose behind him, sealing the doorway. Similarly, black flames sprung up in front of the next door, blocking the path forward.

Tver eyed the flames with interest.

The flames were intensely hot, possessing a destructive force only magical fire could. These were special flames, indeed.

The solution involved solving a riddle left by Snape. But for Tver, no such complexities were necessary. He drew his wand and traced a circle around himself.

"Protego Diabolica!"

A ring of blue-purple fire appeared around him in response to his wand movements. The flames were not very hot nor did they cover a large area, but it was sufficient.

Protected by the purple fire, the black flames in front of him parted as if making way for him, easily creating a path.

Then, he moved on to the last room.

This room was smaller than the others but more finely decorated. Torches on the walls brightly illuminated the space, and the large mirror in the center shone brilliantly.

It was like a gemstone, beckoning Tver closer.

As Tver approached the Mirror of Erised, he couldn't help but wonder about his deepest desires. Humans are often unclear about what they truly want, becoming more confused as they grow older. The mirror not only probed his memories but seemed to search his soul, making him feel transparent.

In the mirror, Tver saw himself standing alone, much like in a regular mirror. But something was off—the reflection showed him aging, his hair turning white, wrinkles forming on his face, and his posture becoming stooped. Yet, still remarkably distinguished.

Tver, somewhat vainly, admired his older self, beginning to understand what he longed for. The mirror also seemed to pick up on his desire for the Philosopher's Stone, as it appeared next to his head in the reflection. He glanced at it briefly before looking away.

Touching the mirror, Tver realized it contained the Philosopher's Stone through a spell akin to the Extension Charm, which made him wonder: if he were to destroy the mirror, would the stone disappear with the collapsing space, or would it be expelled like items from an Extended space? He decided against testing this theory, as he couldn't risk the stone's destruction.

After a while, he sensed that Dumbledore's magic had seamlessly integrated with the magic of the Mirror of Erised. This perfection was beyond his current ability to disrupt. Thus, he left the room without regret.

However, at the doorway, he encountered someone he didn't expect yet wasn't surprised to see—Quirrell.

"Fawley!" Quirrell looked around in panic. "What are you doing here?!"

"The same as you," Tver replied, eyeing Quirrell's excessively pale face—far too pallid for any normal person. This was unexpected; according to what should happen, Quirrell shouldn't be this weakened so early. He was supposed to remain vigorous until his final moments after drinking unicorn blood.

It seemed Tver needed to accelerate his plans.

Quirrell's expression darkened upon hearing Tver's words.

"So, you also want to steal the Philosopher's Stone and run off with it?!" Quirrell's voice was filled with anger and disbelief.

Tver remained silent, contemplating his next move in the intricate game that Hogwarts had become.

Silence.

A death-like silence.

Tver wasn't sure how to react to Quirrell anymore. Was he influenced by Voldemort, or had he simply gone mad?

"Cough, cough," Quirrell, realizing his mistake, hastily tried to correct himself. "I'm aware of Snape's arrangements now, just waiting for your—"

"Be quiet!" Tver silenced Quirrell with a look.

Before they could hide, another hurried figure appeared around the corner. The "flowing" hair alone was enough to identify him.

"Professor Snape, do you really have this much free time?" Tver struck first this time. "Outrunning so late at night, planning to lose some weight?"

Snape's face twitched, and he glared murderously at Tver, taking a deep breath before speaking slowly.

"Better than you two, roaming the third-floor corridor late at night. I imagine the Cerberus inside won't appreciate your presence here."

His eyes shifted back and forth between Quirrell and Tver as if trying to read something unusual from their faces.

Quirrell reverted to his usual trembling demeanor the moment Snape appeared, his eyes dodging as if afraid of Snape.

Tver, on the other hand, returned a playful glance.

He was certain he hadn't triggered any detection spells inside, but he was also sure that Snape's presence was not due to mere boredom.

Could there be something else inside that he wasn't aware of?

"Oh, so there's a Cerberus inside? I had no idea," Tver pretended to be surprised, but so theatrically that even Quirrell wanted to roll his eyes. "Such a dangerous creature, and they're not worried about students wandering in?"

"Why would students be interested in what's inside?" Snape countered.

"How should I know?" Tver smiled. "Maybe there's a disobedient student sneaking in, you know, some Hogwarts students love a little adventure~"

Snape's expression darkened instantly. "Are you threatening me?"

Tver still wore a smile, walking up to Snape and patting him lightly on the arm.

"How could I be threatening you? Just a friendly reminder to keep an eye on student safety~"

After saying this, Tver glanced at Quirrell, who was acting convincingly and took his leave.

Staying up late for no good reason—it's madness!